Archives for July 2018

Reviewed by Jen

It’s been six years since the last book in this series was released. Six. Years. And yet, when I jumped back into the world of Dorina Basarab, I remembered right away why I always enjoyed it so much. That’s not to say I remembered everything that was going on. To say that would be a lie, so if you’re wondering if you should do a re-read of the series, I would not advise against it. And why not? Those books were awesome. And so is Dory herself.

As the story begins, Dory’s life is in a place she never expected it to be. She has been tapped to join the vampire Senate. She is in love with Louis Cesar. She has vampires she is responsible for, as well as trolls, her roommate’s baby and her own sort of adopted child, albeit one that is pretty far from human. The bottom line, she has family. People who love her and depend on her. She is not everyone’s enemy. [Read more…]

Where do I start with this book? It was charming, quaint, very British and I adored it. I’m not sure how to categorize this book. It’s a perfect little mishmash of genres and the description of ‘romantic comedy’ suits it well. This story is divided into 3 novellas. I’m not sure why because as a single book it was coherent and flowed well. Each part is dependent on the other for meaning. and in order to appreciate one part, the reader has to read them all. So this is a review of the story as a whole than just one part.

The Haunting of Hattie Hastings tells the story of 40-something-year-old Hattie who is dealing with the unexpected death of her husband, Gary. Hattie has the support of her son, her mother and brother, and her best friend, Cat. She also has regular visits from Gary, who couldn’t leave without making sure she would be okay. Gary has his own unique way of ensuring this. The scenes between the two speak of a tender and familiar love. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Elise

This book started off with a promising premise and the first chapter had me hooked. Who can pass up a Granny willing to play matchmaker? Especially one that is willing to hunt down a tattooed, hog-riding, bad boy? Not this reader that’s for sure.

This book tells the story of ‘good girl’, Emily Towson. Orphaned at 11 and living with her caring grandmother, Emily likes to play things safe. She is the first grade teacher at the local school and her small town work contract includes a morality code that she is in no danger of breeching. Her grandmother thinks Emily needs to live a little and sets her up with Tanner O’Connor. Tanner is the town bad boy and convicted felon and generally does not care what others think of him. Both are hiding parts of themselves and together they work to overcome their personal obstacles to happiness. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Caitlin

Disciplined by the Duke is the first in the Lords of Discipline series. So far there are three books out, and so far all three are very good. I might like this first one best because the build up is so incredibly hot, but the other two are definitely worthy follow-ups.

The year is 1813. Elizabeth Wilcox is being blackmailed by the Earl of Westmore. Her sister, Amanda, is in Newgate for murdering their father – sticking a knife in his ribs after years of sexual abuse when it became clear he was about to move on to Elizabeth. Westmore is corrupt and has the ear of the judge in Amanda’s trial. He will release Amanda if Elizabeth does what he asks.

It’s been a year of living under his awful thumb, doing unpleasant tasks that aren’t always quite legal. Now, though, he has given her the final task that will ensure her freedom. If she gets a certain letter currently in the Duke of Montague’s possession and brings it back to him, Westmore will free Amanda. Westmore has even gotten Elizabeth a job as a chambermaid at Montague’s country estate. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Jen

Wow. To think I almost didn’t jump right into this book. After reading Gabriel’s Ghost, I felt kind of like Chas and Sully’s love story was complete. Obviously, there were threads left open in the larger story arc, but it felt like a good stopping place. In fact, I thought perhaps the world would continue following other characters in that book. Ren maybe… or Phillip. I was wrong. There is still a ton left to mine between our main characters.

As this installment begins, three months have passed since the last book. Chas is completely in love with Sully and he, her. But the big issue is that he has not finished learning what he is and what he can do. His bond with Chas is making him even stronger and he doesn’t know what to do with his growing power.

Meantime, there is another breeding installation that they need to take down and the politics of the world they live in are coming to a boiling point. They need help. Enter an informant named Del. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Debz

Right off the bat, I have to say that I appreciate literary works about and including characters with disabilities, but especially mental disabilities. This is why I gravitate towards TV shows like The Good Doctor, Parenthood, Scorpion and books like this. I especially like when the characters are fleshed out, normal human beings and not cardboard stereotypes. So thank you, Talia Hibbert.

Ruth Kabba is an online comic book writer in the small town of Ravenswood. She has her mother and sister, Hannah, as her only family and she’s okay with that. Unknown to everyone in town, Ruth has been in a relationship with the town heartthrob, Daniel Burne, for 7 years. A 7 year secret relationship y’all. Until Daniel calls Ruth on the day of his engagement party to tell her about the said engagement and remind her that this changes nothing in their relationship. Everything is not okay!!!! [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Elise

This is a Cinderella story with a southern twist. Summer Jenkins is a 29 year old southern girl living in small town Georgia. Cole Masten is an over-pampered, seemingly arrogant actor, used to getting his own way. He meets his match in Summer, an independent and somewhat lonely young woman desperate to leave the town of Quincy. The two are thrown together when Summer is cast as the leading lady in Cole’s most recent film and the sparks fly.

This story was an easy read. It’s the kind of book I would take with me and read at the beach on a hot, sunny day. It was steamy in all the right places. The romantic tension builds in believable increments throughout the course of the novel. It had just enough angst to keep the feels coming but not enough to tear my heart open. There are a number of likable offsiders in the story and this helps diffuse the tension and keep the story moving nicely. It turns out that there is a spin off novella to read more about Brad Deluca and I think I may have to put this on my reading list! [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Debz

Remy Sinclair’s life has just fallen into pieces. After feeling lethargic for a couple weeks, she goes to the doctor for a flu shot. They ask for more blood for further tests, and then for a biopsy. She has cancer they say, and no one is sure how much time she has left. The doctor even goes further to say that she has a rare aggressive form that, if left untreated immediately, would lead to death in months.

She’s devastated and numb. Anyone in this situation would need someone to lean on; her best friend and confidante was no longer there. Her mom, too, had died of cancer, and Remy had just been waiting for the other shoe to drop. She has no friends, no life outside her cat, Meatball, and is resentful of society browbeating cancer survivors into “fighting.” She just wants to live her life to the fullest in the time she has left. Her mom fought for so long, went into remission, and still died of cancer. She was not able to fulfill any of her goals in her bucket list and the disease took a huge toll on her life. Remy just wants to die. [Read more…]

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Reviewed by Jen

It’s not often that a cover draws me to a book the way this one did. I read the blurb and I was on the fence. I read some of the reviews and I was really on the fence. But at the end of the day, that cover won me over and here I am, done with reading this book in one sitting. Will it be for everyone? No. But I enjoyed it quite a bit and I can say for sure I will be back to read the next installment when it comes out.

The title and cover tell you a lot. This is a romance centering on Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. And I can tell you two things: One, Pestilence is not a good guy. He’s not a guy at all, really. He is disease made flesh. His one and only mission is to destroy the human race. So (two) if you can’t wrap your brain around how a woman could fall in love with a merciless killer, this is not the book for you. Obviously, Pestilence learns some human emotions as he falls in love, but this is his journey. For much of the book, he is an unrelenting force, bent on humanity’s destruction.

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Reviewed by Caitlin

A Gentleman Never Keeps Score is the second installment of Cat Sebastian’s “Seducing the Sedgwicks” series. Sebastian has been an autobuy for me since I read The Soldier’s Scoundrel (book 1 of “The Turner Series”), but this book is far and away my favorite since that series.

It’s 1817. Hartley Sedgwick is a 23-year-old gentleman and a social outcast. He inherited a house in Mayfair from his godfather, Sir Humphrey Easterbrook, with whom he carried on a sexual affair. Hartley has told himself he did it to get his brother Will a commission in the Navy and to make sure his other brothers had food on the table because the truth – that he was too young to make such a choice and was taken advantage of by someone who was supposed to care for him – makes him feel even weaker. At least this way, he was an active participant, rather than a victim. [Read more…]